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| Monday, 08 November 2004 |
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Letters | |
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Please forward your letters to [email protected] in plain text format within the e-mail message, since as a policy we do not open any attachments.
One of the major hazards that the police must tackle forthwith is street cricket. Youths playing cricket on major roads has become a menace especially to motorists. They are hardly aware of the perils they put their life as well as the motorist into by indulging in a game of cricket. Many of them don't care when a vehicle is approaching them. Recently there was an instance where a youth ran straight into a moving vehicle while attempting to hold onto a catch. Thankfully he suffered only a broken leg. But the motorist was left with a shattered windscreen and a dent on the left side of his car. The long arm of the law must discourage youths from playing cricket on major roads and where the public gather and book them, if they continue to persist with it. There are enough playing fields and parks in the city for them to engage in a game of cricket without hindering the progress of the motorists. Quite recently I have noticed that the traffic police are cracking down on errant motorists. Members of the public must also be brought to book if they become an obstacle to the smooth flow of traffic. L. C. SILVA - Dehiwela 10th Gamini Dissanayake memorial lecture Tenth Gamini Dissanayake Memorial Lecture was delivered on Monday October 25 at BMICH by N. Ram well-known editor of the 'Hindu'. A packed and distinguished crowd graced the occasion. It was a somewhat a rare event of cohabitation of the two major rival political parties of the South. Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapakse, Ranil Wickremesinghe, Leader of the Opposition, along with W. J. M. Lokubandara, Speaker of the House were present. The event was an apt occasion for comparison and contrast of two of the major contenders in the future Presidential election. One was frail and sickly looking, the other was youthful and radiance of health, athletic and masculine with the Musto. One with the hair usually dishevelled, the other well groomed hair nicely combed back. One opted for the 3 piece Western attire the other clad in a crimson coloured National dress with the red coloured shawl. Delivery of one was with the usual haunch gait. The other was upright. One was spoke in the English medium other spoke in impeccable Sinhala. On the substance, one spoke of National issue, the Ethnic, the Northern problem. Gamini D's efforts to solve it with the Indo Lanka accord of 1987, that Gamini D was a player in a team that performed well after 1977 with Mahaweli and Cricket etc. He talked of a team in which R.W himself was a player, it not more prominent. The other talked of a personal relationship of his maiden entry to Parliament in 1970 along with G.D. (his maiden entry too) They sat on the same side of the house due to seating arrangement of the time. He said we spoke to one another on matters of national and mutual interest, starting on a personal relationship which lasted till the unfortunate/ untimely demise of G.D. in 1994 almost of a quarter century. He was emphatic and would not on the occasion touch on politics on which he and G.D. had different view points. One spoke at length, rambling and directionless. The other was short and sweet, precise to the point. At the end of, The Exit, was 2 characters in striking contrast. One with his wife by his side walked gracefully in the middle of the lounge on the red carpet laid, pausing here to talk to a friend, there to pat an associate on the back. The other was in a mighty hurry, avoiding those gathered, surrounded by security surreptitiously disappeared in the crowd, speaking to nobody, with the glum look, not a smile on the face, totally unnoticed. P. L. - Panadura The impartiality of the media should be respected by everyone, and the assault on the Kandy correspondent of the Daily News is idiotic and should be deplored. The alleged assailant should know that the freedom of expression is a vital tenet of democracy. K. W. DIAS - Wellawatta Residents in Karawanella say that the main bus-stand is marooned by pools of water. In Kegalle district, Karawanella bus-stand is important mainly because commuters plying towards Sithawaka Industrial park and many such destinations travel via Hatton, Kegalle, Kandy, Adams Peak. However public facilities here are poor for commuters and there is no supply of drinking water. There is no proper resting chairs for the passengers. Passengers commuting at late night and morning run the risk of being insecure. K. A. DUMINDA KARIYAWASAM - Karawanella Prof. Kapila Dahanayake's informative lecture delivered on October 26 at D. S. Senanayake library auditorium provides a good backdrop to focus on the issue of ongoing land abuse on Primrose hill which continues unabated. Ironically, a children's play staged just before the lecture focussed on the danger of deforestation of catchment areas. We thank Benlyn Institute for inviting us for this lecture. This particular catchment area lies above the former Primrose Hill tea estate factory site and had remained untouched during the colonial era. Though the then White Master denuded our forest cover he was merciful to spare the catchment areas because he himself had to depend on them. In the late 1970s, when a prolonged drought reduced the River Mahaweli to a small stream, residents of Primrose were fortunate to use three or four wells which existed on this spot to draw water for drinking purposes as well as for bathing. We watched with dismay this land being bulldozed to make way for a 'playground' while some senior citizens looked on. It was dug for a second time a few weeks ago and at present the well which once lay beneath the Kumbuk tree is completly covered and water continues to ooze out on rainy days. There is another well a little further away with rocks piled around and may not be spared in the next round of excavation. Those who carried out this operation were strongly advised not to use heavy machinery to excavate this site by an engineering professional of the academic staff of the University of Peradeniya who happens to live in the vicinity. It looks like these citizens who happen to live elsewhere in Primrose Gardens do not have to worry about landslides and a few of us who live directly above this land will eventually face the music in typical Sri Lankan style. The excavations have rendered the land above this catchment area where some of us live more prone to sliding as it apparently lies on the hard rock surface which can be seen emerging a few metres above the upper road. As pointed out by Prof Kapila Dahanayake, the land on which we have built is made up of soft soil which has been collapsing all the time requiring us to erect retention walls. If any further excavations are carried out to clog the existing wells in order to build the proposed 'playground' water is likely to sink deep underground and exert pressure which might precipitate a major landslide. It is time responsible citizens of Primrose Hill form a kind of 'Landslide Watch' to avert any future catastropy. We earnestly appeal to the Government to take steps to acquire this land and preserve it as a catchment area. A. C. C. - via email From about two months ago, residents in Kuriwela, Marukona and Raitalawala in Ukuwela (which are highly residential areas) have been very adversely affected due to low voltage electricity supplies. Sudden drops in voltage to near zero level occurs at all times of the day and night and lasts for a minimum of 5 hours before the normal supply is restored. This happens now at least once in two or three days. During the time of the very low voltage supply consumers are unable to watch TV, listen to the radio or activate any electrical appliance. Families who are not at home during daytime are compelled to keep their refrigerators switched-off. Residents who have fixed fluorescent bulbs have to manage with candle light when the 'drop' occurs during the night. The situation has also affected the shops, groceries, small-scale industries etc., in the area. Worst-affected are the thousands of school children whose year-end as well as the GCE/OL and AL examinations are less than a month away. The authorities concerned at the CEB office, Matale do not give a specific reason for the development of the situation. Neither do they state whether or not any action is being taken to restore a continuous normal supply of power. There is also the problem of being unable to contact the CEB Matale by telephone (specially after 5 p.m.) when there is a voltage drop or a power failure since their 'hot line' is 066-2222470 seems to be almost always 'engaged'. To make a complaint personally a consumer has to travel 6 kms to Matale and the return bus fare is Rs. 20.00. The day before I decided to write this letter (28.10.04) the voltage drop occurred at about 5 p.m. and the normal supply was restored only at about 12.30 a.m. the following day. If the drop occurs during the night the normal supply is not restored until about 10 or 11 a.m. I hope that the authorities will take necessary action to ensure that the CEB provides an uninterrupted normal supply to us. A. R. - Ukuwela The above headlined article in the Daily News of 26.10.04 has clearly and concisely encapsulated the horrendous torture and cruelty inflicted on our much loved and valued elephants in captivity and also in the wild. Every single human with a conscience would agree wholeheartedly with the writer. The Law Commission has recently updated the 1907 laws which are quite irrelevant to our times, and presented to the authorities a new draft Bill covering humane treatment and welfare of all animals. I'm sure the writer would've already presented his concerns to the Law Commission when they called for their views from the general public. For all of us with human feelings, this is a golden opportunity, perhaps the last chance for another century, to help right the terrible wrongs committed on our dumb and innocent animals, especially our great treasure, the elephant. M. DAYARATNA - Nugegoda |
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